This document discusses the development of a soil nitrate testing protocol for lands receiving injected manure. It outlines research being conducted to compare injected versus broadcast manure application in corn crops. The objective is to determine an appropriate pre-sidedress nitrate test (PSNT) sampling protocol for soils receiving injected manure, which is applied in bands. Preliminary data from 2012 suggests that more frequent, closer spaced soil cores (5 points at 6" spacing) provides a better estimate of soil nitrate levels than wider spaced cores (2 points at 15" spacing). Future work will involve verification of these results on farm demonstration plots comparing injected and broadcast manure application rates and their impact on corn yields and stalk nitrate levels.

1. Soil Nitrate Testing Protocol Development for Lands
Receiving Injected Manure
Robb Meinen
Senior Extension Associate, Penn State Dept. of Animal Science
Seeking PhD in Soil Science
rjm134@psu.edu (814) 865-5986
NESARE Team - Doug Beegle, Heather Karsten, Peter Kleinman,
Glenna Malcolm, Justin Dillon
CIG Team – Heather Karsten, Ron Hoover, Jeff Graybill, Mena Hautau,
Mark Madden, Jennifer Bratthauer

2. Inject vs. Broadcast Manure in Corn
1. Rock Springs – NESARE & Other plots
2. CIG Grant – Berks, Franklin, Lancaster Counties
 Shallow-disc injection equipment in 3 counties
 2-3 cooperating sites/county/year

3. NESARE DAIRY CROPPING SYSTEMS
PROJECT

4. Shallow disk injection
Shallow Disk
30 in (adjustable)
4 in

6. Benefits of Injection
• Maintain soil cover – consistent with no-till
standards of >30% soil surface disturbance
• Odor
• NH3 loss (volatilization)
• Dissolved P Runoff
• Total P Runoff
• High P / P-Index restricted fields – Better N
balance

7. Tradeoffs
• Slower, Narrow swath width
• Requires more horsepower (up to 30%) & fuel
• More passes = more compaction???
• Equipment costs
• Contract haulers charge higher rate
• Not everyone wants a lower application rate

8. PSNT in Pennsylvania
Pre-Sidedress Nitrate Test for corn
• 12” soil core
• When corn is ~ 6 leaf stage (10-20”)
• Nitrate < 21 ppm means additional N fertilizer
is needed
• Calculation conducted to determine N-rate

9. Objective
• The PSNT becomes suspect on grounds
receiving manure injection. Random sampling
near manure bands may give artificial
confidence in NO3 availability, while samples
away from bands may indicate unnecessary
need for commercial fertilizer.
• The purpose of this work was to determine a
PSNT sampling protocol for soils receiving
injected manure.

10. Core Sample (12”)
Manure bands
30” spacing
Hoping to develop PSNT protocol
for lands with banded injected manure
PSNT testing protocol in banded manure corn
needs definition.
Is there a sampling pattern that
producers can implement in any field?

11. Core Sample (12”)
Cross-section
Sample (30”)
Manure bands
30” spacing
30”
12”

12. Video file of Monolith Sampler

14. Monolith Sampler allows careful dissection of soil profile in 1” cores.

16. 2012 Monolith Site
Composite Sample N03
4 treatments
Treatment n
Mean Nitrate
(ppm)
Standard
Deviation
Control (no manure) 3 5.9 1.5
Broadcast Manure 3 8.3 1.7
Broadcast followed by Till 3 11.5 4.7
Shallow-disc Injection 3 13.2 2.8

17. -15……..-10………..-5…..-2…0.…2……5………..10………..15

18. -15……..-10………..-5…..-2…0.…2……5………..10………..1512”SoilCore
12”SoilCore
-15……..-10………..-5…..-2…0.…2……5………..10………..15
12”SoilCore
12”SoilCore
-15……..-10………..-5…..-2…0.…2……5………..10………..15
12”SoilCore
12”SoilCore
2-Point 15”-Spaced sampling
considered at all points
along the 30” space.
We want a sampling protocol
that will not require the
injection location to be located.

19. -15……..-10………..-5…..-2…0.…2……5………..10………..15
12”SoilCore
-15…-12………….-6……………0.……..……6…………..12….15
12”SoilCore
12”SoilCore
12”SoilCore
12”SoilCore
12”SoilCore
12”SoilCore
5-Point 6”-Spaced
sampling compared to 2-
Point sampling.
20 cores (4 sets) 6”
are better than
20 cores (10 sets) 15”

20. -15…-12………….-6……………0.……..……6…………..12….15
12”SoilCore
12”SoilCore
12”SoilCore
12”SoilCore
12”SoilCore
Both manners of sampling give the same mean = 17.05 ppm N03
Standard Deviations:
• All samples without pairing 14.2
• 2-Point sampling 11.9
• 5-Point sampling 8.9
When we get to 20 cores…

21. SNYDER ROAD
BERNVILLEROAD
6 5 4 3 2 1
120 0 90 60 150 30 502 Inject
150 0 60 90 30 120 501 Broadcast
60 30 0 120 150 90 402 Broadcast
0 150 90 30 60 120 401 Inject
120 80 160 0 200 40 4 Control
90 0 60 150 30 120 302 Inject
90 60 150 120 30 0 301 Broadcast
60 90 0 30 120 150 202 Broadcast
30 120 60 90 0 150 201 Inject
80 0 160 200 120 40 3 Control
0 120 30 60 90 150 102 Inject
150 120 90 30 60 0 101 Broadcast
• Control (no manure) check plots at
each site
• Fertilizer rates allow establishment
of response curve
Data Collection of:
• PSNT
• Corn Stalk Nitrate
• Yield
“Next Step” – Verification

22. 1. Trade Show
2. Education
3. Demonstrations
Chambersburg, PA
Hope to see you at the
2015 North American Manure Expo
July 14 – Tour Day
July 15 – Exposition Day
manureexpo.org

23. Questions?
Broadcast & Injection plots in Franklin County